Over the past week, there have been a few board game tidbits to share so it’s time for a new roundup. First off is the newest board game coming from Asmodee-owned studio Days of Wonder.
Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West
I’m guessing you have all heard of or even played a Ticket to Ride game by now. First published in 2004 by Days of Wonder, this Alan Moon designed game has sold over 8 million copies in its various forms. We’ve seen not only expansions taking the game across the planet, but also quicker playing versions that dial it down to the city level. This newest game is designed not only by Alan Moon, but veteran legacy game designers Rob Daviau and Matt Leacock (Pandemic: Legacy). Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West will be on demo at Gen Con this August and released in November for $120.
“You will embark on a journey across twelve games, managing your own North American railway company to wealth and fortune in a campaign full of adventures.
Completing your tickets will remain your primary goal, but you will need to develop other skills if you hope to overcome the unexpected events and your resourceful rivals. As the story progresses, you will open frontier boxes that will unlock new rules, content, and many more surprises. Like previous installments in the series, this game can be learned very quickly but will provide a much more immersive and narrative experience that should please every fan of the franchise. At the end of the 12 games of this Legacy campaign, you will have transformed your game into a unique copy that you can continue playing for a lifetime.”
You can find out more on the Days of Wonder website here.
Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game
Back in 2018, now defunct board game publisher IDW Games announced an officially licensed Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game was in the works. It was going to be a cooperative minis game that followed the story of the classic Metal Gear Solid video game. However, in 2021, the designer Emerson Matsuuchi announced that IDW Games would no longer release the game. Up until now, there has only been minimal information on the game and most have probably assumed the project was dead.
Last week, publisher CMON Games (Zombicide, Marvel United) announced that they are not only going to publish the game, but you can already pre-order it on their website for a 2024 release.
“In this cooperative game designed by Emerson Matsuuchi and illustrated by Marco Checchetto, players take on the role of their favorite video game characters and experience stealthy gameplay and intricate storylines.
The VR Mission Book contains 6 independent Missions that can be played at any moment with any player count. For an additional challenge, players can also choose to experience the Shadow Moses campaign, playing across a 14 Mission-campaign.”
You can preorder the game here on their website.
Legend of the Five Rings Miniatures from Loot Studios
3D minis subscription service, Loot Studios, has announced a partnership with Asmodee to bring gamers a line of officially licensed Legends of the Five Rings miniatures. For those who haven’t used their service before, Loot Studios lets you subscribe to a monthly release of thematic miniatures that you can 3D print yourself. I have tried it in the past and found their miniatures to be really high quality. It’s a great service for RPGers or people who want to bling out their games. Today they announced you can download free Legend of the Five Rings miniatures (for a limited time). It appears they are releasing these models to help promote their new East-Asian-themed bundle Tales of Ryūbōken.
“The highly realistic and pre-supported sculpts really capture each character’s essence, designed with the attention to detail that make Loot’s models an absolute joy to print. However, the best part is the models also come with an amazing diorama base. This way, both characters can be featured together, portraying a dynamic scene befitting of their legendary duels.
The models will be free to download, in both 32 mm and 75 mm scales, and will be available for a limited time to any L5R or miniature enthusiast to print, paint, and play.”
